


The Sufficiently Advanced Technology Laserprobe

by Willa Shakespeare (AnonEhouse)



Category: Blake's 7, Die Zauberflöte | The Magic Flute - Mozart/Schikaneder
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Brainwashing, F/M, M/M, No Sex, Operas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-08
Updated: 2012-10-08
Packaged: 2017-11-15 21:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/531971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonEhouse/pseuds/Willa%20Shakespeare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Servalan does some creative memory erasure/implantation in order to convince Avon and Vila that they are rescuing her loyal lieutenant Blake from the renegade Travis. Also Avon is told that he loves Blake.</p><p>Confusion ensues. No one sings any arias, but except for that, the plot of the Magic Flute meshes with the Blake's 7 universe surprisingly well. Lots of action and close calls, ordeals and surprises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sufficiently Advanced Technology Laserprobe

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 2008 Tragedy Optional, the multi-fandom opera challenge! It's based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte 
> 
> This is an Alternate Universe version of the Blake's 7 episode 'Terminal' although the change which broke this off from canon actually occurred far earlier, in the episode 'Orac'. Various other things are different, but for the most part, it should be recognizable.

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

Avon woke and looked up into the impassive faces of three mutoids- a fair-skinned woman, a black woman, and a tall young man. He rubbed his arm and watched dully as the fair-skinned mutoid put away a hypodermic. The young man said, "We have been sent by the Supreme Commander to rescue you."

Avon pushed himself up into a sitting position and gazed slowly down at the grimy gray jumpsuit he wore and then up at stark gray walls around him. "Rescue me?"

"You have been held captive by rebel forces and tortured," the black woman told him.

Avon hurt badly enough to believe that. He ached all over, and his head was especially bad. He rubbed his temples and the bridge of his nose.

"Wait here." The mutoids left the room, closing the cell door behind them. 

Avon thought about getting up and trying the door, but his legs refused to support him. He closed his eyes and was about to doze off when the door opened with a loud creak, admitting a man dressed identically to Avon. Avon recognized him, which was a relief. His mind was such a muddle it was a relief to be able to remember his own name, Kerr Avon, and that he was... was... a ...computer systems analyst. Yes. And he... damn. There had to be more to it than that. "Vila," he said harshly. "Vila Restal."

"Yes, it's me! Who else would it be, getting us out of this hellhole!" Vila came over to Avon and put Avon's arm around his shoulder. "Come on, we'll go and steal a ship or something. They don't like us here."

"I'd noticed," Avon said dryly, trying to cooperate and get his feet underneath him.

"Mmm... they must really not like you. You should try being nicer to people, Avon."

"You may be right... for once." Avon saw black specks float before his eyes, and was mildly resentful of Vila's obviously undamaged condition.

"Avon! You shouldn't be trying to walk!" A beautiful woman wearing a black and silver gown heavily encrusted in gems materialized in a blaze of light, along with the mutoids. Avon blinked, dazzled by their astonishing arrival, as well as by ...he recognized her, too. "Servalan," he said harshly, feeling his stomach clench as unclassifiable emotions jangled inside of him and made his head ache even more.

"Yes, it's I. Your Supreme Commander." Servalan gently touched a bruise at Avon's temple. "I've rescued you for a reason, Avon."

"Oh, now, that's not fair. I rescued him!" Vila said. The tall male mutoid reached out, still expressionlessly, and cracked Vila across the mouth. Vila fell away from Avon, whimpering, as the mutoids took hold of Avon and kept him from following Vila to the floor.

"Be quiet, Vila!" Servalan snapped. Then her face softened. "Avon, I need you to help me. The traitor Travis has kidnapped my most trusted advisor." She made a gesture, and a hologram formed in the center of the cell.

Avon's heart nearly stopped for a moment as he stared at the image. Softly he said, "I know him. I know that man."

"Yes, of course you do, Avon. That's Roj Blake. You served with him."

"I love him."

"Yes, Avon, you love him, and you would do anything to save him, wouldn't you?"

Avon licked his suddenly dry lips. "Yes. I love him and I would do anything to save him."

"Good." Servalan stroked Avon's hair. "I will give you the tools you need, and you will find him, and return him to me."

"I will find him, and return him..." Avon paused.

"Return him to me," Servalan prompted.

"Return him to you," Avon said obediently, although he didn't want to share Blake with anyone.

Servalan clasped an ugly brown bracelet on Avon's arm, and pressed a small case into his right hand. "Take these laser probes." Avon's hand tightened around them. "Travis has slaves, nearly as wicked as he is. You will have to be very careful and clever."

Avon blinked. "Am I to go alone?" That seemed wrong. There should be others.

"I will lend you my mutoids and a ship, and the services of three of my finest computers." Servalan smiled. "And you may take Vila, if you like."

"Yes." Avon didn't trust the mutoids. Looking at their blank faces made him feel even sicker. He could look at Vila. Vila was all right.

The black mutoid handed Vila a case similar to Avon's. Servalan explained, "Lockpicks. Blake is likely to be under restraint, as well as under guard."

"Will you accompany us?"

"I only wish I could, Avon, but I must take my flagship back to Earth. With Blake's loss, I must work all the harder to maintain order in my empire." Servalan gave Avon a final caress, then lifted her wrist. It was only then that Avon realized she was also wearing another of the ugly brown bracelets. "Bring me up, Liberator."

Servalan vanished. The mutoids gathered around him and Vila. The male said into his bracelet, "Orac, put us on Scorpio." Avon reasoned the bracelets were part of this instant personal transportation system- if he hadn't been so concerned about Blake, he'd have wanted to investigate how it worked. 

And then he was on the flight deck of a ship and Vila was helping him to a seat. The mutoids calmly took up flight positions and waited. Waited for what? Oh, yes. For Avon to give orders. What orders? Find Blake. But how? Oh. Yes. 

"Servalan said I should have three computers. Where are they?"

An ungainly object rotated in an alcove, catching Avon's attention. It spoke to him, "I am Slave. My mistress directs me to provide you with linkages to the computers known as Orac and Zen."

"Linkages? Well, better than nothing." Avon closed his eyes and tried to think. "Slave, the question for all three of you is this: where is Roj Blake? How can I find him and rescue him from Travis?"

An irritated-sounding voice replied, "That is not one question; that is three questions."

Slave said, "I do apologize, sir. That was Orac."

Avon frowned. "Orac, don't be pedantic. Can the three of you provide me with the necessary information?"

Another voice, deeper and slower than Orac's replied, "Confirmed."

"Well, do it, then. As soon as you have a location, plot a course for Blake." Avon rubbed his temples and then looked at the mutoid in the pilot's position. "You, pilot, take this ship up. I need... to rest." Avon closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat, and paid no attention to the lift-off, except to note that it had been smoother than he'd expected from a ship of this type—an old wanderer class—suitable for small traders and other barely-getting-by travelers. Servalan had given him a first-class pilot, at least. It wasn't long after the ship's movement stabilized that Avon felt hands at his shoulders. He opened his eyes.

Vila said, "Come on, Avon, I've found some bunks."

Avon resisted Vila's urging. "I don't want to sleep. Not with..." Avon looked at the mutoids. They made his skin crawl. The thought of them watching him asleep, totally vulnerable... no.

"It's all right. You know you are safe with me, Avon." Vila smiled reassuringly. "And you're going to have to sleep sometime. We aren't likely to trip over Blake in the next few hours, are we?"

Avon sighed. "Probably not. Servalan would have handled it herself if it was that easy." With Vila's help he got into a bunk. He was asleep within seconds.

@^@

"Information!"

"Yes, what is it, Zen?" After a few weeks following 'lines through the pattern of infinity' Avon had no difficulty telling the three computers apart. 

"The unit known as Orac has located Roj Blake."

"That is _not_ what I said," Orac snapped. "The probability is high, but it is not certain!"

"How high, Orac? Give me a specific number."

"The probability is ninety-eight point nine nine nine six percent that Roj Blake is presently at the specified location."

"That's good enough for me," Vila said. He didn't like the mutoids any better than Avon did and was eager to conclude the search. 

Orac continued, "Travis is holding Blake prisoner on the planet Goth, where he has been installed as religious leader by hostile barbarians who would do anything to protect him."

"Erm," Vila said, "On second thoughts those odds don't sound so good."

Orac continued blithely on. "He has the latest mark pursuit ship, and a loyal slave fully trained as an assassin."

"Yes, well, we've heard enough about that, haven't we, Avon? I'm sure Orac's got his sums wrong." Vila looked at Avon hopefully.

"We have no choice, Vila. Zen, set us a course for Goth." Avon had noticed very early on that the only ones armed on Scorpio were the mutoids. It made sense, he supposed, that Servalan hadn't thought to equip him and Vila with guns. He was a computer technician, and Vila a burglar. Neither of them had the temperament nor training to handle weapons. Under the circumstances, that was going to be ... inconvenient.

@^@

Avon and Vila appeared in a dimly lit passage that slanted downward into the ground. The air smelled noxious. Vila coughed and complained as he followed Avon down. "The mutoids should be here, not us. I mean, who cares if the hairy barbarians eat them? _They_ wouldn't even care!"

"Be quiet, Vila. You know they're too obvious and haven't enough initiative to carry out a mission of this sort." 

Vila stopped when the tunnel bisected. "What do we do now?"

"Split up." Avon waved at the right-hand tunnel. "Choose one. If you see Blake or Travis, signal me and I'll join you."

"What if I see Travis and he's aiming a gun at me!"

"Duck." Avon smiled. "Or call for teleport. Orac is listening."

"I don't think Orac likes me. And are we sure it will even work down here in the tunnels?"

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Avon started off on the left-hand tunnel, leaving Vila on his own.

Vila whimpered softly, hunched his shoulders and went on down the right-hand tunnel.

@^@

After several more minutes, Avon paused at the sound of footsteps. He ducked into an alcove draped with a dusty old tapestry, and tried not to sneeze. Looking through a tear in the fabric, he saw Travis and recognized him even though he'd exchanged a Space Commander's uniform for a flowing black robe. The eyepatch and black-gloved false arm were unmistakable. Unfortunately, Travis was not alone. He was followed by several primitives- bearded men and nearly as savage-looking women. All except for the one man who walked closest to Travis. Clean-shaven and dressed like an in-system medical professional, the man stood out from the crowd. Travis called the man 'Lurgen' and chatted with him in friendly fashion.

Avon wished he could follow, could blend in. He backed further into the alcove, brushing against something soft and heavy. Groping in the dimness, he identified it as a full-length fur robe, supplied with a hood. He put it on and trailed the group.

@^@

"Blake!" Vila almost squeaked in surprise when he turned a corner and saw Blake trapped against a wall with a huge and leering man hovering before him. "Here, you, leave Blake alone!" Before the big man could turn, Vila grabbed the nearest object, a tatty-looking multicolored robe, and flung it over his head.

"AGGGH, feathers! Noooo, my allergies!" The big man tossed off the robe and fled, scratching frantically at his face.

Vila puffed up with pride at his unexpected victory and turned to Blake. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes. That was a near thing, Vila, thanks. That crimmo's been after me ever since Travis found out that I'm gay." Blake looked disgusted. "Gay, but not without standards, mind you."

"Avon's looking for you."

Blake frowned. "Why? Has he run out of people to mock, aspirations to denigrate?"

"He loves you. Really. He's been all moony-eyed- well, for Avon – and depressed and bad-tempered- oh, all right, nothing different there... anyway, he's been really, really missing you and trying really hard to find you to tell you he loves you."

Blake's eyes lit up. "I would never have believed it. Avon is so macho. Are you certain?"

"Macho?" Vila suppressed a laugh. "Blake, he wears leather, and has a vile temper, but macho?"

"That's my Avon." Blake clapped Vila on the shoulder. "Where is he?"

@^@

Avon followed the men to Travis's pursuit ship, which must have been a great nuisance to get into the underground. Apparently Travis had decided to take up permanent residence on Goth. His ship had been crudely painted with esoteric symbols, and further decorated with animal skulls, furs, shells, bits of carved wood, and stones, until the shape was largely obscured.

There was a sort of altar set up on the flight deck, with people bowing and praying to it. Travis was never alone, but after a while, Lurgen separated from the rest of the group. Avon caught him in an empty cabin, pushed him against the bulkhead and shoved his laser probe against the man's throat. "Where is Blake?"

"Who are you?" Lurgen gasped.

"My name is Avon." Avon flung back the fur hood. "I've come to save Blake from Travis."

"Save him from Travis?" Lurgen sounded astonished. "Travis rescued Blake from Servalan!"

"What?"

"Yes, of course. She had Dr. Maryatt, the surgeon who saved Travis's life, murdered, so Travis deserted the service. Servalan doesn't give a damn for the Federation, or anything except power. Travis found Blake on Jevron, dying. Servalan had tortured him, and intended to bring his corpse back to Earth to put on display. Travis rescued him. I admit they're not friends and Travis won't let him go because Blake is such a trouble-maker, but he's not going to hurt Blake."

Avon stared at Lurgen for a long moment. The man seemed to be telling the truth. "My head hurts," Avon muttered, and stepped back, letting his hands droop to his side.

"I expect Servalan's been at you," Lurgen said, with a shrewd look on his face. "Have a lot of these headaches, do you?"

Avon looked at Lurgen. "Yes." He thought with difficulty through the pain. "Yes. I... you're right. Servalan is evil. But I still intend to take Blake away with me." He backed up to the door, and used his laser probe to seal Lurgen into the cabin. His comm. unit chimed. 'Yes?"

Vila's voice came through it. "Avon! Avon, I've got Blake with me, he's all right. Only we're a bit... lost."

"Follow my signal!" Avon started to head out of the ship, but finding the flight deck temporarily empty, he paused to sabotage the main computer system, so the ship's lights went out and alarms sounded. Taking advantage of the confusion, Avon ran out of the ship to intercept Vila and Blake.

@^@

"In here, Blake!" Vila gasped as they reached the pursuit ship, trailed by the huge crimmo, ugly face now covered with purple and yellow blotches, and a gang of hairy savages.

Avon saw them, too late, as Vila sealed the airlock of the pursuit ship. "Vila! You idiot!" Avon shouted and ran to the ship, kicking at the door in a mindless fury. To have seen Blake, and been that close!

"You!" 

Avon whirled, holding his laser probe at the ready. Travis was watching him, his lone eye cold and calculating. "Get away from my ship!" Travis snarled. "Did Servalan send you to kill me?"

"You flatter yourself." Avon half-crouched against the airlock. He muttered into his comm. "Vila, if you don't get this lock open, I'll never forgive you." He showed his teeth. "I'll be too dead."

"I'm trying!" Vila wailed from inside the ship. "It's harder to undo fused circuits than to fuse them, you know!"

"If not to murder me, then why are you here?" Travis stalked closer, fists clenched. "Only Servalan would have any reason to track me down."

"I want Blake." 

Travis stopped and rubbed his good hand over the weapon's jewel on his false arm. "Blake took my arm and eye. Why shouldn't I just kill him? Kill you and kill him?"

"You'll have to answer that question yourself. Why haven't you already killed him? Why did you save him from death at Servalan's hands?"

Travis snarled, "That bitch. Blake's an honest enemy; he didn't deserve to die that way. Servalan's destroyed the honour of the Federation; Blake's at least fought me like a man." He began moving closer to Avon.

Avon nodded. "The Federation you swore to obey isn't the Federation Blake's fighting. The corruption, the lies, the abuse of power – that's our common enemy."

Travis's eyelid flickered as he considered Avon's words. "Maybe. But how do I know your lot understand the concept of honour? Maybe you're just in it for what you can grab."

"Test us. Test _me_."

"You? Oh, and you'd make a fine officer and a gentleman, you would." Travis stood eye-to-eye with Avon and brushed aside the laser probe.

Avon showed his teeth. "Try me. Either that, or kill me."

Travis snorted. "Yeah, if my laseron crystal hadn't run out of power months ago, I'd have done that. All right, I'll give you a trial. A fair one, mind you."

The airlock door slid open at that moment. The huge crimmo had been hovering in the shadows behind Travis. He ran into the flight deck and grabbed Blake. His intent was obvious. "My man!" Travis shouted, pushing a raging Avon to one side, where he was caught and held by primitives. "I'll handle this."

Travis strode up to the crimmo and glared at him. "I've told you to keep your hands to yourself. You're on surface watch until further notice."

"But, but, the air's bad up there! You breathe too much of it, it kills!" the crimmo protested.

Travis grinned. "Then try not to breathe too much." Travis waved and several, nearly as huge, primitives grabbed the crimmo and hauled him away. Travis turned his attention to Blake. "I've decided to set you free. Not right away, but soon. Don't cause me to regret my decision, Blake." Travis turned and gave orders to more of his followers. "Take Blake back to his quarters. See that he stays there."

As he was escorted away, Blake turned his head and watched avidly as Avon was taken into the ship and set to repairing the damage he'd done. Their eyes met for an instant.

@^@

The tall male mutoid said, "Supreme Commander, we have arrived at the planet Goth. Scans verify the presence of Space Commander Travis's pursuit ship."

" _Former_ Space Commander Travis," Servalan's image corrected from Scorpio's communications' monitor. "Excellent. Liberator can be there within three days. You and the others will go down to the planet and see that my orders are carried out. If necessary use Vila, but do nothing drastic to Avon until my arrival. I wish to see his face when he learns the truth." Her blood-red lips curved in a vicious smile. "When he learns that his love for Blake is an artificial construct and I have played him for a fool." She laughed. "It will be delicious."

"Yes, Supreme Commander," the male mutoid said. "We hear and we obey."

@^@

The sullen crimmo crouched close to the entrance to the underground living areas, muttering to himself. "One-eyed bastard. Who does he think he is? Why should he be giving the orders? Treat Blake with kid gloves. Hah. Rebel trash. I'm too good for Blake, he should have been grateful I was even interested in him!"

The three mutoids who were approaching under cover of night, having teleported at a short distance from the entrance, exchanged glances. They seemed to arrive at an unspoken consensus, and stepped forward boldly into the flickering light of the crimmos torch. "We agree with you."

The crimmo shouted and brought his gun up to bear on them. "Who are you?" He blinked. "Mutoids! What's a bunch of vampires doing on Goth?"

The fair-skinned female said, "We have been sent by Supreme Commander Servalan to retrieve the rebel Blake. If you assist us, we are authorized to offer you compensation."

"Compensation? Like credits, and a ticket off this stinking pit of a planet? Yeh. I'll help you. What do I have to do?"

"Explain the situation," the black mutoid said crisply. "Kerr Avon and Vila Restal preceded us. What has happened?"

"Eh, they're all pals with Travis, now." The crimmo spat on the ground. "Leave me out here to cough up my lungs while he coddles them and invites them to join his boot-worshippin' group."

The mutoids exchanged glances again. The tall male spoke for them, "Then if you would escort us down and introduce us as Avon's crew, we will be able to infiltrate and work from within."

"Won't Travis suspect you?"

"Why should he? It is standard practice for mutoids to be blanked when assigned to a new commander. He will assume that we are totally obedient to Avon."

"Well... it's no skin off my nose if he shoots the lot of you. And it's a good excuse to get down out of this mucky air for a while. Come on." The crimmo turned and led the way down to the tents of Goth.

@^@

"Right." Travis approached the throne of Rod, the Charl, Chief of the Goths. "Avon's going to be tested. If he passes the initiation, then he'll be one of the faithful, and we can trust him."

Rod nodded and smiled. "And if he doesn't pass, we'll kill him, like we did my disloyal idiot brother." He picked up a grape and ate it.

Travis smiled. "Yes. We can't lose, can we?" He left the throne room.

@^@

"Tell him," Travis said.

Lurgen shrugged. 'It's your decision." He leaned forward and whispered into Avon's ear a set of coordinates.

Avon frowned and looked at Travis. "What..."

Travis held up his hand. "That's the location of Star One. The Federation's overall coordinating and controlling computer is there. Now that you know, I have to be able to trust you with the secret. I could shut you up permanently, or you can prove that you can keep silent. From now, until I give you permission to speak, you can't say a word. Not one word. To anyone. Under any circumstances."

Avon opened his mouth and then shut it. He nodded.

"No getting around it with keyboards or hand-signs or writing. No loopholes. If I catch you communicating with anyone beyond a nod or a headshake, you're dead. You and Vila, and Blake." Travis grinned. "I promised I'd set him free. Well, there's no one so free as a dead man."

Avon glared. Travis laughed. "Yeah, I understand that. And the same to you. With knobs on." Travis moved in close. "Understand me, Avon. I don't like you, or Blake, or your kind. I’m only giving you this chance because maybe, just maybe, the Federation would be better off with your lot in charge. If you can prove your honour to me, I'll give you that chance."

There was a sudden commotion and all three men turned to face the ship's entrance. The three mutoids entered, escorted by the disgraced crimmo and a handful of primitives armed with spears and knives. "What's this? Where'd they come from? You bring them with you?" Travis whirled on Avon.

Reluctantly, Avon nodded.

"If Avon passes my tests, then I'll let him go along with Blake."

The tall male said, "We wish to remain until this is accomplished."

Travis scowled. "I don't have any blood serum for you, and I'm not having you feed on my people."

The mutoids exchanged glances, and the male again spoke for them all when he opened his tunic, revealing a normal chest. "We have incomplete physical modifications and therefore consume normal rations. The Supreme Commander wished to ensure Kerr Avon would not be at risk from us, in the event supplies ran short before we concluded our mission."

The women expressionlessly also opened their tunics, exposing their bare breasts and bellies. The crowd who had followed them gaped, including Vila.

Travis sniffed. "Servalan's always playing games with you lot. All right, put them away and button up. You can stay, but stay out of my way."

"That is our intention, Commander," the male mutoid said as he unhurriedly reclosed his tunic. He looked at Avon. "We desire only to obey our orders."

@^@

"No, Vila," the black mutoid told him, "we don't mind if you touch us."

"I'm not supposed to," Vila said. "After all, Travis said I should ... be more...umm... high-minded. So I could join his what is it... church?"

"Do you really want to join Travis?" The mutoid asked him as she stripped off her tunic.

Vila's eyes widened. "No, now that you mention it, I'd much rather be here with you." His hands reached out to fondle and he moved in so close that he could not see the look she exchanged with the other mutoids who rose silently, undressed and walked past the distracted Vila into the inner chamber, where Avon had been set to studying the officer's manual Travis had given him.

He looked up at their entrance. They were both young, and possessed flawless bodies. They took off their high, black helmets. The male had curly auburn hair, and the female long, silken blonde plaits that she let down and began unbraiding. "We are yours to command, Avon," the male said. "Only tell us what you wish, and we will do it." He moved to kneel at Avon's feet. "The Supreme Commander wishes you to be happy."

The woman moved close. She said, "You will have Blake's love once we return. The Supreme Commander wishes only to have him return to work for her. But until then, we will serve your needs. Just tell us."

Avon's body responded. He wasn't sure which of them he was responding to. His mouth opened. It would be so easy. And not as if he was betraying Blake. After all, mutoids had no feelings. They were little more than biological machines. And it had been a very long time since he'd had sex. And they would hardly tell Travis that he had broken his promise.

But _he_ would know he'd broken it. He got up, pushed the mutoids aside and strode out of the room.

@^@

Servalan appeared at the coordinates the mutoids had obtained. The male mutoid saluted. "Supreme Commander, Kerr Avon appears to have partially broken conditioning. He is cooperating with Travis."

Servalan's eyes glittered. "I will see him dead." She turned to the crimmo, who had accompanied them. "Take me to Blake."

@^@

Servalan leaned over Blake's sleeping form. "Wake him." The crimmo shrugged, grabbed Blake by the shoulder and shook him hard. Blake woke with a gasp and looked up into Servalan's face.

She smiled at Blake. "You didn't think you could get away from me, did you? Hold him," she told the crimmo and the mutoids as she clipped a strange mesh helment onto Blake's head. "I am going to show you the truth about your beloved. When I am finished, you will realize how little he cares for you. How he only uses you. How he deserves to die. How much you want to kill him."

"No," Blake whispered. "No!"

"Silence him."

The male mutoid gagged Blake with a strip torn from the bedding. Servalan activated a small machine attached to the mesh, and Blake writhed in agony. "You hate Avon. Avon deserves to die. You hate ...."

@^@

Blake walked softly through the tents of Goth, heading for the pursuit ship. He knew where Avon slept. In his hand a crystal dagger glittered.

"Blake!" Travis shouted, having risen because phantom pain from his missing eye had awakened him. "What are you doing?"

Blake turned to Travis; his eyes were wide and blank. "I am going to kill Avon. He doesn't love me. He deserves to die."

"Yeah, right." Travis moved closer. "And you wake up in the middle of the night to do him in? Why not wait until morning? That's the proper time for executions." Travis continued moving closer.

"Because Servalan said I should do it now."

"Oh, well, as long as you have a good reason. Be my guest." Travis stepped out of Blake's path. The moment Blake came level with him, Travis's metal hand cracked down on Blake's arm, forcing him to drop the knife. Then Travis wrapped both arms around Blake holding him against uncoordinated struggles. "Snap out of it! Servalan's lied, she's nothing but lies. You know that. You love Avon."

Abruptly Blake stopped struggling and began weeping. "I would have killed him! I would have!"

"Eh, well, you didn't." Travis awkwardly patted Blake on the back. "Quit snuffling and let's see if we can catch Servalan."

@^@

"Oh, right, I'm supposed to be fasting, now, aren't I?" Vila said, looking down at the tray of assorted nibbles being offered to him by an exceptionally grimy woman who had tangled, greasy hair. "You didn't make any of this yourself did you? I mean, let's be honest here, you smell awful. It's enough to take away a man's appetite."

"I'm a warrior! I haven't time to primp!" The woman set the tray down with a thump. "I'm no kitchen-worker. I guard Travis, if you must know. I was only doing a friend a favour, bringing that here." The woman scowled and put her hand to the gun at her waist.

"Here! I'm sure it's all lovely!" Vila popped a potato ball into his mouth and chewed noisily. "Wonderful, marvellous! The aroma really adds to it." Vila grinned. The woman sniffed and turned her back to him. Vila noticed that under the dirt, she had good legs. "Oh, wait, what's your name?" She didn't answer him and left the room. Vila sighed and returned to eating.

Travis entered with Blake in tow. "You really are a model of self-restraint, aren't you, Vila?"

Vila shrugged. "The universe is filled with wine, women and song. Who am I to deny it?" He picked up a glass of wine and drank. "Avon didn't have any, if that's what you're thinking. He's a stickler for rules, Avon is. Even if he does tend to make up his own as he goes along."

Blake's head jerked up. "Where's Avon? I need to talk to him."

"The next room. But forget it," Vila said as Blake charged past him. "He's gone into sulk mode, Avon has." Vila shrugged and tried something cheesy.

"Avon!" Blake ran into the room and took Avon's hands. Avon jerked up and his mouth opened. Then he shut it and merely smiled and returned the pressure of Blake's grip. "Avon! Servalan's here! She tried to make me kill you. I almost did. Avon! Will you talk to me?"

Avon shook his head.

"Will you at least listen?" 

Avon looked at Blake. He didn't dare. He knew he would be unable to resist speaking with him, now that they were so close. He pulled free of Blake and pointed towards the door, averting his gaze.

"Avon." Blake was grief-stricken. "So. Servalan isn't all wrong. You really do hate me, don't you?" Blake walked out of the room.

Travis entered the room. "I think Blake was hallucinating. My men haven’t been able to find Servalan, and she's hardly the type to hide in a closet." He frowned. "All right, I admit you've done fairly well so far. You've only got the last two tests of faith. Take off your boots and follow me."

Avon obeyed.

Vila sat up as they went past. "Eh, Travis, what's going on?"

"Avon's going for his next to last trial." Travis shook his head. "You've eaten yourself out of a place here, Vila. It'll be back to the rebel wars for you."

"Oh, just because I was hungry! What would I have to do to stay?"

Travis thought a moment. "Well, you could marry into the tribe. If anyone would have you."

Vila winced. "The women here are all... very... heroic." Vila brightened. "Except for the one who brought this tray. How about her? I mean, the way she smells, I don't think anyone could have bonded with her. And I can always hold my breath when I kiss her."

Travis laughed. "If you can convince her, she's all yours." Travis gestured at Avon, and they continued walking. Vila followed them. "I'll just go and get Blake. He's sure to want to watch."

Avon glared at Vila, but Vila was used to ignoring that, particularly when Avon couldn't follow it up with words.

Vila found Blake back in his quarters. Blake had a knife and was holding it against his left wrist. "Hey! No! Don't do that!" Vila yelled, and startled, Blake dropped the knife. Vila kicked the knife under the bed and ducked as Blake ran at him furiously.

"What? What's wrong, Blake?" Vila backed up against the wall, staring wide-eyed at Blake. "Why do you want to off yourself now, when Avon's almost through with Travis's tests?"

"Tests?" Blake paused. "What tests?"

"To prove that he was honest enough..." Vila stopped a moment. "No, not quite that. Well, anyway that he deserved to have you. He hasn't eaten or spoken for days. And I think the speaking was the hardest for him, really. You know how Avon is about getting in a snappy remark."

Blake stared at Vila. "That's what it was? He couldn't talk?"

"Not without breaking his promise to Travis, and losing you."

"Come on, Vila!" Blake ran out of the room. Vila shrugged and followed.

The whole village was heading in the same direction, so Blake had no difficulty finding Avon at the trial grounds. There was a smell... like burning. Blake burst through the crowd and saw Avon standing barefoot at the edge of a pit filled with coals crusted with white ash, steam rising from it.

"Avon! Let me come with you." Blake struggled in the grip of warriors until Travis raised his hand and looked at Avon. 

"Do you want him to accompany you? Remember, if either of you fail, then you both fail," Travis asked.

Avon glanced at Travis, then he met Blake's eyes and smiled, nodding. 

Blake stripped off his boots and socks and went around the pit to take Avon's hand. "We can do it. Together we can do anything."

Avon nodded. They stepped off together, and walked steadily across the coals. Once Avon hit a place where the ash was thin, and he winced, but Blake tightened his grip and they made it across, turning to face Travis.

"Well?" Blake demanded. "What now?"

"Water. For the final trial, Avon has to walk across the bottom of a tank of water, held down by weights. No clothes, no breathing apparatus. Just walk."

Avon went pale and shook his head. Blake gripped him. "Avon? What's wrong?" Avon just shook his head again. Blake guessed at the reason. "Travis, he can't swim. You can't ask him to do it!"

"Yes, I can. He doesn't have to swim. Just hold his breath and walk. It was one of our exercises at the Academy. If an officer tells you that you can do something, you do it." Travis's lone eye glittered. "If he doesn't trust me, then why should I trust him?"

Blake turned back to Avon. "I'll be with you, every step of the way."

Avon swallowed nervously, and finally gave a short, sharp nod, before he began slowly stripping off his clothes.

The huge metal tank was the water supply for the village, created long ago, rusty with age, but still sound. There was a platform on either side at the top, with a complicated set of pipes leading from a surface collection and purification system that fed into it. There was no top to the tank, and the dim torch lights set around its perimeter didn't reach down to the bottom. Travis watched from the far platform as first Avon, and then Blake, awkwardly descended a ladder let down to the surface of the water, inconvenienced by the heavy weight each held in one hand. Avon held onto the last rung with one hand, fighting to stay on the surface until Blake could join him. Travis shouted, "If you come up for air before you reach the other side, you've lost."

Avon stared blindly at Travis. His eyes were wide and panicky. Blake reached him, and smiled. "We won't lose. Relax, Avon. Take deep breaths. Fill your lungs all the way. When we reach the other side, I want to kiss you."

Avon suddenly smiled. He let go of the rung and reached out for Blake. Blake released the rung he was holding, and took Avon's hand. They both sank like stones.

Everyone watched the surface of the water silently, tracing their progress by the double trail of air bubbles breaking the surface. A little more than halfway across, the bubbles stopped.

The seconds, and then the minutes dragged on. Travis checked his chronometer. Nearly four minutes. Suddenly there was a disturbance in the water below his platform. "Lower the ladder," Travis shouted. 

The ladder splashed into the water. After a moment, a hand emerged from the water, gripping the last rung. Blake's head followed, gasping for breath. He struggled up, using only one hand. When he got up two rungs, Avon was visible, barely conscious, being half-dragged by Blake. 

"Get them out!" Travis shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd. Men and women leapt into the tank, and began helping Blake and Avon out.

@^@

Vila got very drunk at the celebration, but then, so did everyone else. Even Travis was standing on a table and singing some song comparing Servalan's anatomy to improbable icy cold objects. After a while, the drink turned to melancholy in Vila, which it didn't usually do, but seeing Avon and Blake together, obviously so happy with each other, reminded him that he didn't have anyone. Even the mutoids had vanished. Well, they weren't exactly party material, were they?

Vila took a bottle and went off to feel sorry for himself in private. But everywhere he looked there were happy villagers kissing and hugging and some going further than that. He decided to go to Travis's ship. Since the people considered it a solemn temple, Vila didn't think they'd be fooling around in it.

He got to the ship and was pleased to find it echoing with silence. Avon and Travis and a few of the inner temple had quarters in it, but no one else lived in it. He finished his bottle in a quiet corner, but wanted another. It was a long way back to the main party, and he didn't want to see everyone fooling around again. He thought a moment. Travis must have some good stuff in his cabin. Vila toddled off in that direction. The door was locked.

"Never trust a man who locks up his booze!" Vila flourished his lockpicks and opened the door. A beautiful blonde woman rushed out, gun in hand. She paused to kiss him.

"Come on, Vila! Servalan's here! She's set a trap!"

"Eh, what? Who are you?"

"Kerril! I wash up nice, don't I?" She grinned and shoved Vila to the deck, shooting. 

The big ugly crimmo screamed and fell to the deck. Vila looked up from between his hands, held protectively in front of his face. Servalan was there, with the mutoids flanking her, guns drawn and aimed at Kerril. He suddenly had absolutely no desire to see what lay under the women mutoid's tunics.

"You are outnumbered," Servalan said. "You can do nothing." She smiled.

Kerril grinned. "I can kill _you_. Don't bet on any mutoid matching my speed."

"Oh, I think Soolin can."

Vila looked up, puzzled. The mutoids had names? And something about that name... it was familiar.

"Perhaps," Kerril said. "But do you really care to risk it?"

"I'll let you go. I've no interest in you." Servalan glanced at Vila and sneered. "You can even have him, if you like. I've come for Avon and Blake. What are they to you? You're one of Travis's mercenaries, aren't you? You're not being paid to protect them."

Kerril's smile brightened. "Oh, I don't need an excuse to kill you. Once in a while, I just do something like vermin-eradication for amusement."

"STAND WHERE YOU ARE!" Avon's voice seemed to boom from all sides of the room. In the moment while they were distracted, Kerril leaped over to Servalan and grabbed her with one arm, placing her gun against the pit of Servalan's throat. She shook her head at the mutoids. "Oh, I wouldn't. Tell them to surrender, Servalan. Tell them while you still have a voice to use."

Servalan's eyes rolled wildly, and she clutched uselessly at Kerril's implacable grip. "Surrender! Put down your weapons!"

Expressionlessly, the mutoids obeyed.

Avon, Blake and Travis entered the ship. Avon's eyes were ice as he used his laser probe to turn off the comm. system he'd hacked into to send his voice all around them. "Kill her," he told Kerril.

Blake said, "No, Avon, you don't want to turn into her."

Avon glanced at Blake. "She would have had me turn you into her slave. She would have had you murder me. Death is too good for her. Kill her, Kerril."

Travis growled, "Wait a moment! This is my ship and Kerril works for me." Travis paused. "Kill the mutoids."

"Wait, wait!" Vila popped up, swaying only slightly as he got to his feet. "Don't kill them! They're... they're not what they seem." Vila frowned. "I don't know what I mean. But... she called the one Soolin and... I ... I don't know." Vila rubbed his temples. "My head hurts."

Travis gazed at the mutoids. "Mmmm... no physical modification." He strode forward and took Servalan's neck in his metal hand. "You're going to explain, Servalan."

Servalan's eyes went wide as he began to apply the pressure. "I used behavioural modification on all of them. Soolin, Tarrant, and Dayna only think they're mutoids. They're part of Avon's crew. I blocked their memories. And Avon's and Vila's."

Travis began to ease the pressure. Servalan added spitefully, "I got the Liberator, which _you_ could never do, Travis. And I made Avon think he loves Blake."

Servalan came very close to having her windpipe crushed. Avon grabbed Travis's arm. "Wait! We have to know the truth! Make her reverse the conditioning on the mutoids. Then we'll know."

Blake added, "And if she's really got the Liberator, we have to get it back." Blake looked at Avon. "Even if you don't love me, Avon, I know we're friends." His eyes were very sad.

Avon looked at Blake and then away. Quietly he said to Travis, "We must know."

@^@

Servalan hadn't trusted many people with the secret of her new possession. Once Tarrant, Soolin and Dayna were deconditioned using the metal mesh helmet they teleported up with Servalan, and calmly ordered the crew into lifepods to evacuate. The nearest planetary body was Goth, of course. Rod's people would have no problems with them. Either they would surrender, or they'd choke to death in the surface air.

Vila was next. Kerril held his hand throughout the process and kissed him when he opened his eyes and said, "I remember." Vila grinned. "I particularly remember you."

Servalan took a last spiteful pleasure in undoing Avon's conditioning. Blake looked sick as she said, "Remember what I told you about Blake?" and Avon muttered, "Yes. I love him. And I'm to rescue him and return him to you."

Her grin widened. "Well, forget what I told you Avon. Remember how you _really_ feel about Blake. How you fought him. How you hated him giving you orders. How you hated him risking your life."

"Yes," Avon said. His eyes cleared. "I remember." He tore off the metal mesh helmet and stood.

Blake looked at Avon sadly. "So. You remember."

"Yes. I remember exactly how I've always felt about you." Avon went up to Blake. "Exactly." He reached up, grabbed Blake's hair and pulled him down into a kiss.

Servalan shrieked in rage. Travis laughed. Tarrant cleared his throat. "But what do we do with her now?"

All eyes turned to Servalan. Rod stepped forward and brushed his beard thoughtfully. "Well, if none of you want her, how about you use that thing to make her love me? I quite fancy her. I think she'd make a good queen."


End file.
